batch.motif.islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg-l13289-l13435
---
record_id: batch.motif.islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg-l13289-l13435
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
passage_locator:
label: PUBLIC SERVICES, / AND EMINENT LITERARY ATTAINMENTS, / THE TRANSLATOR. /
PREFACE; lines 13289-13435
start: '13289'
end: '13435'
translation: The Koran (Al-Qur'an), Rodwell translation
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: The passage first warns that God delays the wicked only until a terrifying
day of punishment and recompense, when the earth and heavens are changed and the
wicked are chained, clothed in pitch, and surrounded by fire. It then begins Sura
XII, presenting Joseph’s vision of celestial bodies bowing to him, his father’s
warning, his brothers’ jealousy and plot, Joseph’s casting into a well, the brothers’
false report with bloodied shirt, his discovery by travelers and sale in Egypt,
and the episode in which an Egyptian woman solicits him and a torn shirt becomes
evidence in his defense.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: God is described as not disregarding the deeds of the wicked but delaying
them until a day of terror and punishment.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The wicked are portrayed as asking for a short respite and claiming they would
answer God’s call and follow the Apostles.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The passage says former destroyed dwellings were made examples for later people.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: A future day is described when the earth and heavens are changed and people
come forth to God.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: The wicked are described as linked in chains, clothed in pitch, and with fire
enwrapping their faces.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: Joseph reports to his father a vision of eleven stars, the sun, and the moon
making obeisance to him.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: Joseph’s father tells him not to recount the vision to his brothers because
they may plot against him.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: Joseph’s brothers say Joseph and his brother are more loved by their father
than they are.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: The brothers discuss killing Joseph or driving him away, and one proposes
casting him into the bottom of a well so travelers may take him up.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: The brothers ask their father to send Joseph with them and assure him they
will keep Joseph safe.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: Joseph’s father fears that a wolf may devour Joseph while the brothers are
heedless.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:12
text: The brothers place Joseph at the bottom of the well, and Joseph receives a
revelation that he will later tell them of the deed when they do not know him.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:13
text: The brothers return at night weeping and claim the wolf devoured Joseph while
they were racing.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:14
text: The brothers bring Joseph’s shirt with false blood on it, and the father rejects
their account as something they have managed themselves.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:15
text: Wayfarers send a drawer of water, who lowers his bucket and finds Joseph as
a youth.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:16
text: Joseph is kept secret as merchandise, sold for a small number of dirhems,
and bought by an Egyptian.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:17
text: The Egyptian buyer tells his wife to treat Joseph hospitably, hoping he may
be useful or adopted as a son.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:18
text: Joseph is said to be instructed in the interpretation of dark sayings and
later given judgment and knowledge.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:19
text: The woman in whose house Joseph lives conceives passion for him, shuts the
doors, and summons him.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:20
text: Joseph refuses the woman’s solicitation and invokes God’s protection.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:21
text: As Joseph and the woman move toward the door, she tears his shirt from behind,
then accuses him before her lord.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:22
text: A witness from the woman’s family states that a front-torn shirt would support
her claim, while a shirt torn behind would support Joseph’s claim.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: God
description: The divine figure who delays, judges, recompenses, reveals, instructs,
and protects according to the passage.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: The wicked or evil doers
description: People whose deeds are not disregarded, who are delayed until punishment,
and who appear chained and punished on the day of recompense.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Apostles
description: Messengers whom the evil doers say they would follow if granted respite.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Mankind and men of understanding
description: The audience warned by the message and invited to know the oneness
of God and ponder it.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Joseph
description: The youth who sees the vision, is plotted against by his brothers,
cast into a well, discovered and sold, settled in Egypt, instructed in interpretation,
and later resists solicitation.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:7
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Joseph’s father
description: Joseph’s father, who receives Joseph’s vision, warns him not to tell
his brothers, fears for him, and later rejects the brothers’ false report.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Joseph’s brethren
description: The brothers who envy Joseph and his brother, plot against Joseph,
cast him into a well, and bring a false report to their father.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: One of Joseph’s brothers
description: One brother who advises against killing Joseph and suggests casting
him into the bottom of the well.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Wayfarers
description: Travelers who arrive at the well and keep Joseph’s case secret in order
to make merchandise of him.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Drawer of water
description: A member or servant of the wayfarers who lowers a bucket and discovers
Joseph.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Egyptian buyer
description: An Egyptian man who buys Joseph and tells his wife to treat him hospitably.
role_refs:
- role:14
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Egyptian buyer’s wife
description: The woman in whose house Joseph lives; she solicits him, tears his
shirt from behind, and accuses him before her lord.
role_refs:
- role:15
- role:16
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:13
name_or_label: The woman’s lord
description: The man met at the door who hears the accusation and then sees Joseph’s
shirt torn behind.
role_refs:
- role:17
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:14
name_or_label: Witness from the woman’s family
description: A family witness who proposes the test of whether Joseph’s shirt is
torn in front or behind.
role_refs:
- role:18
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:15
name_or_label: Satan
description: Named by Joseph’s father as the manifest foe of man.
role_refs:
- role:19
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
roles:
- id: role:1
label: divine judge and recompensor
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: God is said to reward every soul as it deserves and to be prompt to reckon.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: revealer and instructor
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: God reveals to Joseph in the well and instructs him in the interpretation
of dark sayings.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:3
label: warned wrongdoers
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The wicked are warned of punishment, ask for respite, and are shown punished
on the day of recompense.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: messengers to be followed
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The evil doers say they would follow the Apostles if given respite.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:5
label: audience of warning
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The message is explicitly for mankind so that they may be warned and ponder.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:6
label: visionary youth
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Joseph reports a vision of celestial bodies making obeisance to him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:7
label: endangered brother
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: His brothers plot to kill, exile, or cast him into a well.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:8
label: resisting servant
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Joseph refuses the woman’s solicitation and is called one of God’s sincere
servants.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:9
label: protective father and interpreter of danger
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: He warns Joseph against telling the vision, fears the wolf, and later judges
the brothers’ account false.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:10
label: jealous conspirators
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: They complain of Joseph’s favored status, plot against him, and present false
evidence.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:11
label: mitigating adviser
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: He says not to kill Joseph but to cast him into the well for travelers to
find.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:12
label: discoverers and sellers
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The wayfarers discover Joseph’s case and keep it secret as merchandise.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:13
label: water drawer and discoverer
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: He lowers the bucket and announces the discovery of a youth.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:14
label: patron or potential adopter
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: The Egyptian buyer asks his wife to treat Joseph hospitably and considers
usefulness or adoption.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:15
label: tempter
assigned_to:
- fig:12
basis: She conceives passion for Joseph, shuts the doors, and summons him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:16
label: accuser
assigned_to:
- fig:12
basis: After tearing Joseph’s shirt, she asks what recompense is due to one who
would do evil to the family.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:17
label: household authority receiving evidence
assigned_to:
- fig:13
basis: He is met at the door, hears the accusation, and sees the shirt torn behind.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:18
label: evidentiary witness
assigned_to:
- fig:14
basis: The witness states how the direction of the tear in the shirt determines
which party speaks truth.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:19
label: manifest foe
assigned_to:
- fig:15
basis: Joseph’s father calls Satan the manifest foe of man.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: day of punishment and reckoning
literal_form: A day when eyes stare in terror, punishment overtakes wrongdoers,
and every soul is rewarded as it deserves.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: changed earth and heavens
literal_form: The earth changed into another earth and the heavens also.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: chains of the wicked
literal_form: The wicked linked together in chains.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:4
label: pitch garments and fire
literal_form: Garments of pitch and fire enwrapping faces.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:5
label: celestial obeisance
literal_form: Eleven stars, the sun, and the moon making obeisance to Joseph.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:6
label: well and water bucket
literal_form: The bottom of a well; a drawer of water lowers a bucket and discovers
Joseph.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:7
- fig:9
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: sym:7
label: false bloodied shirt
literal_form: Joseph’s shirt brought to his father with false blood upon it.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:8
label: shirt torn behind
literal_form: Joseph’s shirt torn from behind, used as evidence in the accusation
episode.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:12
- fig:13
- fig:14
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:9
label: wolf allegation
literal_form: The wolf that the brothers claim devoured Joseph.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:10
label: mountain-moving plots
literal_form: Plots described as so powerful as to move mountains, though mastered
by God.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Warning of divine punishment
summary: God delays the wicked until a terrifying day, recalls examples from destroyed
dwellings, masters their plots, and will judge every soul.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:2
label: Joseph’s vision and paternal warning
summary: Joseph tells his father that eleven stars, the sun, and the moon bowed
to him; his father warns him not to tell his brothers and speaks of future instruction
in interpretation.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:15
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:3
label: The brothers’ jealous plot
summary: Joseph’s brothers complain that Joseph and his brother are more loved,
consider killing or exiling Joseph, and accept the suggestion to place him in
a well.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
- sym:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Joseph cast into the well
summary: The brothers take Joseph away, agree to put him at the bottom of the well,
and Joseph receives a revelation that he will later tell them of the deed.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: False report to the father
summary: The brothers return weeping at night, claim a wolf devoured Joseph, and
produce a shirt with false blood; the father rejects the account and chooses patience.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
- sym:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:6
label: Discovery, sale, and settlement in Egypt
summary: Travelers discover Joseph through the water drawer’s bucket, keep him secret
for merchandise, sell him cheaply, and an Egyptian buyer brings him into his household.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:7
label: Solicitation and the torn shirt test
summary: The woman in Joseph’s household solicits him; he refuses, his shirt is
torn behind, she accuses him, and a family witness proposes the shirt’s tear as
evidence.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:11
- fig:12
- fig:13
- fig:14
symbol_refs:
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Divine judgment after delay
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: The passage states that God delays the wicked until a day of terror, punishment,
and recompense for every soul.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: This is a direct eschatological warning in the passage; no broader historical
comparison is inferred.
- id: motif:2
label: Cosmic transformation at reckoning
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
- resurrection
basis: The day of judgment is described with the earth and heavens changed and people
coming forth unto God.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: The resurrection taxonomy is supported by the coming-forth language but
the passage excerpt does not elaborate bodily resurrection mechanics.
- id: motif:3
label: Destroyed predecessors as warning examples
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: The wicked are reminded that they dwelt in the dwellings of former wrongdoers
whose destruction had been made clear and held up as examples; the note identifies
anciently destroyed cities such as Themoud and Ad.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The extraction remains within the passage and its supplied note; it does
not add external details about these peoples.
- id: motif:4
label: Revelatory dream and interpretation of hidden meanings
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Joseph sees a symbolic celestial vision, and his father says God will teach
him the interpretation of dark sayings; Joseph is later instructed in such interpretation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives the dream and promise of interpretation but not yet
the later interpretations.
- id: motif:5
label: Sibling jealousy against the favored child
taxonomy_refs:
- sibling_pair
basis: The brothers say Joseph and his brother are preferred by their father and
plot against Joseph.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy label is approximate because the conflict involves a group
of brothers, though the passage explicitly mentions Joseph and his brother as
a favored pair.
- id: motif:6
label: Endangered youth cast into a pit and later rescued
taxonomy_refs:
- hero_descent
- departure
basis: Joseph is placed at the bottom of the well, receives revelation there, and
is later drawn out by travelers.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The well episode resembles a descent-and-emergence pattern, but the passage
presents it as betrayal and rescue rather than a voluntary initiatory descent.
- id: motif:7
label: False token of death
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The brothers produce Joseph’s shirt with false blood to support their claim
that a wolf devoured him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: No provided taxonomy reference directly matches this motif.
- id: motif:8
label: Temptation resisted and vindication by material sign
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Joseph rejects the woman’s solicitation, and the direction of the tear in
his shirt becomes the sign by which truth is judged.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: No provided taxonomy reference directly matches the garment-evidence motif.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: Within the passage and note, the ruined dwellings function as a comparison
to earlier destroyed communities, specifically identified in the note as Themoud,
Ad, and others, serving as warning examples for later wrongdoers.
claim_level: same_function
target: Destroyed cities of Themoud, Ad, etc., as warning examples
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The claim is limited to the translator’s note and the passage’s own
warning language; it does not establish historical contact or a broader comparative
mythology relationship.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 13289-13305
quote_or_summary: God is said to delay the wicked until a terrifying day of punishment;
evil doers ask for respite, are reminded of destroyed dwellings made examples,
and are told God can master their plots.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source text supplied for extraction.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 13306-13318
quote_or_summary: God will not fail the promise to the Apostles; on a day when earth
and heavens are changed, people come forth to God, the wicked are chained, clothed
in pitch, and fire surrounds their faces so every soul is recompensed.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source text supplied for extraction.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 13319-13327
quote_or_summary: The message is for mankind as warning and for recognizing one
God; notes identify the destroyed dwellings as anciently destroyed cities of Themoud,
Ad, and others.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source text supplied for extraction.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 13328-13348
quote_or_summary: Sura XII opens with the clear Book and the narrative of Joseph.
Joseph tells his father of eleven stars, the sun, and the moon bowing to him;
his father warns him not to tell his brothers and says God will teach him the
interpretation of dark sayings.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source text supplied for extraction.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 13349-13367
quote_or_summary: Joseph’s brothers say Joseph and his brother are favored, propose
killing or expelling Joseph, and one advises casting him into the bottom of the
well; they ask their father to send him with them, while the father fears a wolf
may devour him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source text supplied for extraction.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 13368-13383
quote_or_summary: The brothers place Joseph at the bottom of the well; a revelation
says he will later tell them of the deed. They return weeping with a wolf story
and a shirt with false blood; the father says they have managed the affair and
invokes patience and God’s help.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source text supplied for extraction.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 13384-13404
quote_or_summary: Wayfarers send a water drawer who lowers a bucket and finds Joseph.
They keep the matter secret to sell him; he is sold for a small price, bought
by an Egyptian, and settled in the land while God instructs him in interpretation
and gives him judgment and knowledge.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source text supplied for extraction.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 13405-13435
quote_or_summary: The woman in whose house Joseph lives desires him, shuts the doors,
and summons him. Joseph refuses. At the door she tears his shirt from behind and
accuses him; a family witness says the direction of the tear determines who is
truthful, and the shirt is seen torn behind.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/islamic/project-gutenberg/koran-rodwell.md
rights_note: Public domain source text supplied for extraction.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: Literal extraction is strong because the passage is explicit. Motif labels
are more interpretive, especially hero_descent, sibling_pair, and resurrection.
Comparison claims are limited to the passage’s own note about Themoud and Ad.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-29'
notes: |-
Only the supplied passage text, metadata, and available taxonomy references were used. No external Joseph traditions or Qur'anic cross-references were added.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:islamic-koran-rodwell-gutenberg__l13289-l13435
passage_sha256=aad1803b8940dc457344956effd3ba4adff67c01493994a32d68ec164f3b4961